EDITORIAL: A struggle over cops' mug shots

Published: Friday, May 23, 2014 at 03:25 PM.

Sad but true: If you’re arrested and charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, you’d better comb your hair and put on a big smile, because you can expect to see your booking photo in the newspaper. Your mug shot will be part of the public record whether you’re a homeless person or a schoolteacher.

But maybe not if you’re a cop.

If you’re a sworn law enforcement officer in Florida, you’re treated differently. Under Florida Statute 119.071, you can request in writing that your mug shot be withheld from the public’s withering gaze.

You might even get your way. Local officials can decide whether to honor your request.

Thus, local officials are on the spot. Sometimes they don’t even agree on how to handle such photos. When the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office kickback scandal erupted in 2009, the county administrator was inclined to release mug shots of the arrested officers while the county corrections director wasn’t.

It’s “a conundrum for us,” the corrections chief said.

The conundrum continues. After an Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy was arrested May 9 and accused of unlawful sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl, the deputy formally asked that his mug shot be withheld. The Daily News initiated a flurry of phone calls and emails that eventually got the mug shot released. And published.

The reasoning behind this special treatment is that cops might be endangered if publicly identified. This is nonsense. Cops are identified in published photos all the time, getting awards, giving awards, examining crime scenes and otherwise interacting with citizens.

Why should local officials have the option of hiding cops’ mug shots when the cops get in trouble? They shouldn’t. The cops should be treated the same as everyone else.

Legislators have talked off and on about clarifying this oddity in state law. They ought to try harder. They should make sure that when law enforcement officers are arrested, their mug shots become part of the public record. No exceptions.

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Sad but true: If you’re arrested and charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, you’d better comb your hair and put on a big smile, because you can expect to see your booking photo in the newspaper. Your mug shot will be part of the public record whether you’re a homeless person or a schoolteacher.

But maybe not if you’re a cop.

If you’re a sworn law enforcement officer in Florida, you’re treated differently. Under Florida Statute 119.071, you can request in writing that your mug shot be withheld from the public’s withering gaze.

You might even get your way. Local officials can decide whether to honor your request.

Thus, local officials are on the spot. Sometimes they don’t even agree on how to handle such photos. When the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office kickback scandal erupted in 2009, the county administrator was inclined to release mug shots of the arrested officers while the county corrections director wasn’t.

It’s “a conundrum for us,” the corrections chief said.

The conundrum continues. After an Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy was arrested May 9 and accused of unlawful sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl, the deputy formally asked that his mug shot be withheld. The Daily News initiated a flurry of phone calls and emails that eventually got the mug shot released. And published.

The reasoning behind this special treatment is that cops might be endangered if publicly identified. This is nonsense. Cops are identified in published photos all the time, getting awards, giving awards, examining crime scenes and otherwise interacting with citizens.

Why should local officials have the option of hiding cops’ mug shots when the cops get in trouble? They shouldn’t. The cops should be treated the same as everyone else.

Legislators have talked off and on about clarifying this oddity in state law. They ought to try harder. They should make sure that when law enforcement officers are arrested, their mug shots become part of the public record. No exceptions.